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Policing Network Traffic

11/01/07

What to do when network traffic threatens service speed and quality

As an enterprise network
engineer at Ball State
University (IN), Chris Cahoe
has seen the university network
evolve into an ISP for
the campus
community. On
the front lines
of network
management
at BSU, Cahoe
has wrestled with performance
problems such as
latency, packet loss, and
bandwidth issues that frustrate
users across the campus
and precipitate demands
for improved services. But
his strategies for network
optimization have allowed
the university to deliver fast,
reliable connections to
internet-based services
without major investments
in new infrastructure. How
does he do it? Here, Cahoe
offers his Top 10 practical
tips for better network traffic
management.

Want to be considered for Campus Technology's Top 10? Send your countdown and a brief background/bio summary to mgrush@1105media.com

10

Monitor and baseline your network; get to know it well.

Knowing your network is the key element of a good management strategy.

Familiarity with your network will become your best management tool.

9

Maintain long-term graphs of latency, jitter, and packet loss.

Gone are the days of simply monitoring whether the network is up or down.

Keep detailed records as proof of proper network management.

8

Don't allow network links to become saturated by traffic from any
single part of your organization.

Define maximums and minimums for traffic that traverses links that have
limited capacity.

If links become saturated, make sure everyone gets a fair slice of the pie.